Susan McConnell received her Ph.D. in Neurobiology from Harvard University and did a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Neurobiology at Stanford School of Medicine. She joined the faculty of the Department of Biology at Stanford in 1989. McConnell is a University Fellow in Undergraduate Education, an appointment that recognizes faculty who have made an outstanding contribution to undergraduate education at Stanford. She is also an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

McConnell’s lab studies the development of the cerebral cortex, focusing on the mechanisms by which newly generated neurons migrate into their proper positions and form correct and specific connections with other nerve cells.

Outside of the lab, McConnell can often be found with a camera in hand. She is a superb wildlife photographer and has traveled and photographed extensively in Africa, as well as in Alaska, and closer to home in Northern California. Her cover story on African elephants can be found in the November 2010 issue of Smithsonian magazine.